Apples add surprising flavor to mac ’n’ cheese

Colder weather and shorter days signal autumn’s brisk return. School is in session, the backyard barbecue has been laid to rest, and the last of the summer’s gardens begin to shrink with the first signs of frost.

Autumn doesn’t seem like it offers a whole lot to get excited about. The return of sweaters, maybe?
Even apple season — autumn’s opening ceremony for seasonal foods — isn’t all it’s cut out to be, simply because apples are available year-round. Sliced and diced, smashed and mashed, they adorn spring salads and fill summer sauces.
Unless it’s pure sentimentality that keeps autumn apples tasting especially good, there really is no difference in the taste. A pie is a pie, after all.
Falling into apple boredom by early fall isn’t a daunting task. It seems to happen to the best of us. Rarely do we find a promising recipe for that bushel basket full of apples from a kindergarten field trip to the orchard. And so the bushel full of pink-skinned beauties slips into a deep sedation, shriveling up into a sad, sour mash of distorted apple faces.
The trick to keeping apples interesting is to tie them into fall comfort food well. Make them an exciting surprise in an otherwise classic dish. Harmonize their flavor and sweetness with other flavors that meld well.
Pretty much everyone already knows of the classic apple-cheddar combo. Something about the sharpness of cheese and the tartness of apples make this coupling as mellifluous as peanut butter and jelly. But instead of playing it safe and layering crisp apple slices into croque monsieurs, step it up a notch with a baked mac and cheese dish.
Prepared with sharp white cheddar and gruyere, this mac and cheese could stand alone as a winner for a main course on a chilly September night. However, it is the inclusion of the sweet-tart Honey Crisps and robust apple butter that really makes this a gourmet specialty. And if you’re feeling saucy, toss in a handful of chopped ham.
There isn’t anything complicated about this recipe — it follows the same process as a mac and cheese dish made with a roux. The only additional ingredients come from the apple butter (homemade is always best) and the chopped apples baked right into the cheesy sauce.
Prepare it on a night when the memories of summer are but a melancholy nostalgia and the cold weather calls for a bite of something exciting.
MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH APPLES
6 tablespoons butter
1 pound elbow macaroni
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp dry mustard powder
4 cups whole milk
1 egg yolk
2 cups grated gruyere cheese
31/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Coarse salt
1 cup apple butter
2 Honey Crisp apples, diced
11/2 cups panko bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread crumbs in medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour melted butter into the bowl with the bread; toss. Set the bread crumbs aside.
Warm milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Melt remaining butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring for 1 minute. While whisking, add hot milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until mixture bubbles and thickens, 8 to 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar and all of the gruyere. Stir and allow to cool slightly. Place egg yolk in a bowl and add one spoonful of cheese mixture and whisk until well blended. Add egg mixture to remaining cheese mixture and stir until well combined.
Cover a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook macaroni for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and run under cold water. Add macaroni and diced apples to cheese mixture and combine. Pour half of mixture into prepared baking dish and spread until even. Using a tablespoon, drop spoonfuls of apple butter over the macaroni. Pour remaining macaroni mixture on top. Sprinkle remaining cheddar cheese and reserved bread crumbs over top. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.